Democratic Ideals Undermined: Creating Policy Based on Identity Group Membership

• In Event: Women and Politics Research & Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual Poster Session: Women and Politics Research Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

While serving in the military is not a right, the ability to choose one’s profession and succeed is something that has always been an American ideal. Yet, the pair of Executive Orders barring and reinstating the ability of transgender individuals to serve in the military calls that ideal into question. Despite the fact that this country has had laws which barred people based on race, gender, and sexuality from the military, the deeper issue is the continued policy-supported belief that individuals can be excluded simply because they happen to be members of a particular group. Using a combination of critical race theory, feminism, and queer theory, this article will take a case study approach that contrasts the exclusion of transgender individuals with other identity groups in regard to the language contained in the policies themselves, as well as the effect and impact of these policies on the trajectory of the military and the individuals. Case studies that will be considered and compared with this most recent example are the desegregation of the military, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and the exclusion of women from combat arms. Such an understanding of the environment in which this policies are formed and change will provide important insight into why this still occurs and why it undermines democratic ideals.

Author

• Rachel Yon, United States Military Academy